I've been in a slump lately, the same kind I was in about a month and a half ago. I'm about 90% sure its because of the few minor injuries (could have been major) that I have suffered and the ones I have seen others suffer in the last few months. Normally I give up life and limb when I'm out on the mats, but as of late I have been feeling my arms and legs being twisted and turned in positions that feel potentially dangerous. There are a lot of guys at my school that do there own "variations" of things...and sometimes those variations and my body parts don't necessarily work together, lol. I don't want to keep this behavior up, because I don't want to develop a weaker game...its just that its hard when you keep getting minor pulls and tears here and there. These little bumps and bruises cause me to ball up more, defend rather than attack, and I've damn near tapped about a million times just because something was bent wrong (not by submissions). This is starting to wear down on me,, and no one ever seems to have any good advice on the subject. None of my injuries are bad enough to take breaks, but bad enough that if I went 100% and so did my partner, I would get seriously hurt. I have had plenty of injuries that have kept me away from sports in the past, and it is not a good feeling. The reason why I don't play soccer (my first love) or run anymore is because of my knees and ankles. I am in love with BJJ and really don't want to stop, any advice?
Should I:
1. Lift weights
2. Stretch more (yoga)
3. Eat better
4. Drink more water
5. Show up earlier and warm-up
6. Choose not to roll with certain people
7. Take a healing break
8. See a PT
9. Stop training as much as I do
10. Stop whining
I mean really, I'm only 24 yrs old and have had torn ligaments, tendons, surgeries, broken ankles, and more. Have I beat myself up to a point of no return? This is so frustrating.
